Tired of Pretending
by Puckurt-VS-Kurtofsky
Summary: Lydia, Danny and Stiles have secretly been best friends ever since they were kids. When Lydia confronts Jackson in Kanima form and helps save his life and change him into a werewolf Stiles can finally stop pretending to be in love with her and pursue the person he really loves. Derek Hale. Sterek, Post S2, starts J/L ends J/D, L/A, S/I, B/E Full Summary Inside!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Lydia, Danny and Stiles have secretly been best friends ever since they were kids. When Lydia confronts Jackson in Kanima form and helps save his life and change him into a werewolf Stiles can finally stop pretending to be in love with her and pursue the person he really loves. Derek Hale. Derek/Stiles, starts Lydia/Jackson, ends Jackson/Danny, Isaac/Scott, Lydia/Allison, Byod/Erica…Post season 2.

**P.S. I changed the timeline a bit and made the end of season 2 take place at the end of the school year. I skip the summer for a reason...also this chapter has kind of a bit of information on what this fic is all about. It's not like an infomercial or anything just a little background on Stiles and his character set. Tell me what you think.**

Chapter 1

Stiles slams on the breaks as Jackson, in Kanima form, jumps on the roof of his jeep. Both he and Lydia scream and they scramble out of the jeep after Lydia throws her door open. Stiles ducks his head and rushes to stand behind Scott as Lydia jumps in front of Jackson, shouting his name.

She holds up his house key and Stiles holds his breath as Jackson shifts back into human form and slowly reaches up for the key. He locks eyes with Lydia right before she dodges out of the way as Derek and peter both plunge their claws deep into Jackson's stomach.

As Jackson falls limp and then crashes to the ground Stiles winces because he's not sure what to do now. His eyes suddenly snap up when he hears Lydia shout again and looks just in time for Jackson to groan and for Lydia to cling to him.

Stiles smiles because he knows things are going to be different from here on out. He feels himself tear up and make some stupid excuse about his jeep and quickly wipes his eyes.

**~! #$%^&!~**

**Four Months Later**

Sherriff Stilinski opens his front door with a sigh when the persisting knocking does not go away. The Sherriff opens the door to Find Scott McCall, Derek Hale, Isaac Lahey, Jackson Whitmore and the formerly deceased Peter Hale.

The Sherriff sighs. "Guys come on. I've told you time and time again that Stiles does not want to talk to anyone. It's been four months. He needs time." He tries to shut the door on the four werewolves but of course Derek's hand comes out and stops him.

Derek let's his eyes flash red just for a second and the Sherriff sighs and lets the door open all the way. He leads the insistent werewolves into the kitchen and forces them to sit at the table. There are a few things they need to know.

"Look Mr. Stilinski. I know you're probably pissed because of everything that was kept from you and you would rather not have Stiles hang out with any of us but he's pack, family, we care about him. He's one of us even if he's not an actual werewolf. Not being around him, not talking to him, not even being allowed to see if he's safe has hurt all of us so much. We just want to know why he doesn't want us around anymore." Scott steals a quick look at Jackson before continuing. "We know Stiles was hurt when Lydia saved Jackson with her love but they aren't together anymore…"

Scott if cut off by the Sherriff laughing. "You really think this is all about Lydia and him being love hurt or whatever?" he asks in disbelief.

Scott blushes, looks down at his feet and shrugs his shoulders. "That's when he stopped talking to us. The night that Gerard was killed and Lydia and Jackson reunited. What are we supposed to think?" he asks dumbly.

The Sherriff growls a very realistic wolf like growl and slams his coffee cup down on the table. "Seventeen years Scott! Seventeen fucking years and you don't even know your best fucking friend. Stiles has always been there for you, even when I told him not to. He didn't listen because he cares about you. After seventeen years of you doing NOTHING in return for him you practically throw away your friendship for a girl who very damned near almost betrayed you. You! The boy who she was supposed to love! And now where is she? She's in the arms of the girl who was supposed to love Jackson."

The Sherriff snorts. "Stiles has never and will never love Lydia. Stiles is gay. As gay as Danny if not more. Stiles, Danny and Lydia have been best friends ever since they were kids. As Jackson secretly knows Lydia has had feelings for girls for a long time. The love Lydia and Jackson shared was of a different kind. It was not the lovers love, it was the love you can only give someone who was your first."

Derek suddenly snarls at Jackson. "You knew of this?" he growls.

Jackson shakes his head quickly and tries to shrink into the wall behind him. "I only knew about Lydia being gay and that's only because I am too. It was a secret we promised to keep because we both had something to lose. I didn't know about her secret friendship with Stiles and Danny." He rushes to assure.

The Sherriff rolls his eyes. "Derek sit down and shut up. I'm not done yet."

Derek blinks in stunned silence but obeys because the man is the Sherriff and the father of the boy he is in love with. Better get on his good side now while he has the chance.

The Sherriff nods when Derek takes his seat again and starts speaking. "Stiles is different. Always has been. His mother was a witch and she passed her Heritage onto Stiles. Ever since Stiles was a baby he has been able to do things no one else has ever even thought of. I was terrified when he started showing all the signs of witchcraft but my wife assured me that he wouldn't hurt anyone. Stiles is a special witch. Most witches usually only have one or two specific gifts, like my wife, and all can cast spells and do potions or serums. Stiles can do more. his gifts are limitless. He has the ability to copy a gift and obtain it for himself. Even if it's a fake gift that he's seen on a TV show or read in a book. If he wants it he can have it with just a single thought or silent wish."

Pretty much everyone's jaw, sitting at the table that is, is hanging to the ground in shock. The Sherriff smirks. "That's what I looked like when my wife sat me down and told me the truth about her and the future of our baby when she was seven months pregnant. Pretty sure I nearly had a heart attack too."

"Why didn't Stiles tell me or us for that matter?" Scott demands.

The Sherriff gives him a deadpanned looked. "You really think you would have taken it well if he told you the truth? No you wouldn't have. You didn't even believe him at first when he told you you werewolf. It took you almost beating his face in to think that maybe he was right. You ever thought to ask why Stiles knew almost right away what you were. Being a witch means he's going to know if there are other types of supernatural beings or species out there. He's been researching and investigating ever since he could read. There are witch hunters out there just as much as there are werewolf hunters. People who don't understand something or think everything that revolves around what they are hunting is a bad thing. They don't take the time to figure out the truth or look around them a see it for themselves. You guys know this better than most people. You've faced this head on."

The Sherriff sighs again and moves to the head of the table to sit down. He rests his forearms on the table top and studies each person for a few seconds before sitting back. "Listen, you four a good kids. I know this. Contrary to what you all think I've known about everything since the very beginning. The only reason I've played dumb is because my son told me to and I know my son and his gifts enough to know to listen to him. It's not about whose father and son or about who can protect who better. It's about knowledge and Stiles had more knowledge on what was going then I did so I listened to him. He told me that if people knew, especially the Argents, that I knew what was really going on than I could be in danger. So I played the dumb father who just wanted his kid to stay safe. It worked in the end."

Derek takes a deep breath before speaking. He doesn't think anyone here knows his true feelings for the boy in question but he can never be too sure. Wolves and fathers are very perception when it comes to someone they care about. "Sherriff, I know this is all true, we can sense the truth behind your words. What I don't understand is why Stiles has shut us out for the last four months. I understand that he can't just go around blurting out his secret but he didn't need to shut us out."

The Sherriff sighs again but this time it's more tired and sad then angry and serious. "The night Gerard died he also kidnapped Stiles from the game. You knew this. You also know that Gerard beat the shit out of him. What you don't know is that the electrocution machine that Erica and Boyd were connected to, was hooked up to Stiles after Erica and Boyd were set free to run. Gerard tortured and beat my son until he left to try and kill Scott. Chris Argent is the one that found him right before he left to meet Scott and Isaac at the hospital. While Stiles was being electrocuted his powers were 'overheating' I guess would be the right term. It simple form it took all Stiles had in him to not show his gifts or powers in anyway. He almost died. He would have died if Chris hadn't found him and turned the machine of right before his heart stopped. Stiles has spent the last four months letting his body and powers recover. He's been pulling many sleepless nights trying to build himself back up again because he was beaten so far down. Because he has the ability to copy or steal a gift or power when he was electrocuted the energy from the machine embedded itself into his gifts, almost as if he copied it into him. Once he copies or steals something it's his forever. He's been trying to find a way to center the energy waves and produce a whole new gift. It just hurts like hell every time he tries."

The Sherriff stops and takes a deep breath. Listening to Stiles tell him what happened and how he felt four months ago still hits him hard every time he sees his son worn down face from working himself so hard. He's tried to tell him time and time again to take it slow and let his body heal but Stiles is determined to never be pushed to that level of weakness again.

The Sherriff suddenly stands up. "I think you need to see what I'm talking about. Stiles is always at the same place at the same time every day. Maybe if you see for yourself the struggle he's been going through you might understand why he's been trying to stay away from people. He hasn't even talked to Lydia and Danny very much. I'm probably lucky phone calls and Skype is good enough for them because two more people knocking on my door would probably force me to move."

Before they reach the front door the Sherriff turns and faces the group of boys once again. "When we get to where I'm taking you I need you guys to be quiet. No matter what happens to or around Stiles you cannot make yourselves known. When Stiles comes home tonight I will tell him that I told you guys the truth and demand he come and see you. That's all I can promise, if he chooses to not come and see you then you five need to back off and have some patience." He demands with a stern glare.

The five wolves nod and the Sherriff sighs once again before heading out of his own home and to his police cruiser. "Follow me and remember what I said about being quiet." He warns before shutting the cruiser door and pulling out of the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

**The next chapter will be Stiles' third person POV from now on. I just thought having it as the Sherriff's POV for the first two chapters would really set the tone of the fic.**

Chapter 2

The Sherriff pulls his cruiser up outside of the cemetery gates and parks. He turns his car off and sits back in his seat for a second. He loves and hates coming here. He loves it because it makes him feel closer to his wife but he hates it because it reminds him that she's gone and she can't come back.

He sees the others getting out of their vehicles so he takes a deep breath and joins them outside. They all meet at the back end of the cruiser.

"Why is Stiles here?" Scott asks.

The Sherriff gives him a 'duh' look. "Really Scott? I know you can be a bit dense but you've also been Stiles' friend for years. Why else would Stiles come to the cemetery?"

Scott makes an 'oh' face and flushes as he looks down at his feet. The Sherriff sighs and claps him on the back to show no hard feelings.

"Stiles likes to come here for inspiration before he tries a new power out. Ever since that night with Gerard he's been coming here every day and not coming home until after dark. The only days he's home before dark is on the night of the full moon. He doesn't actually practice here because it's too out in the open. There's a trail at the end of the cemetery that leads to the edge of a cliff. The area is large enough to practice and far enough away from most people. We have to walk there because we can't drive and we have to be quiet because as soon as he spots you he'll probably clam up and run."

The other boys nod so the Sherriff leads them into the cemetery and then all the way through it until the reach the edge of the woods. The Sherriff purposely passes his wife's grave so that he can draw strength from her before continuing on.

As they enter the woods the air around them gets thicker. The hairs on their arms and the back of their necks stand straight and goosebumps pebble their skin. They can practically feel a change in the air and now the boys know where it's coming from.

As the woods begins thinning out the further they walk the Sherriff stops and turns to the group one last time. "Just remember to stay quiet and remember what I told you back at the house. No matter what you see or hear do not approach Stiles. He may have a handle on his powers but if you surprise him you could end up hurt. I know how hard it'll be because it kills me every time I can't go to him but you have to just give him space. Understood?" he clarifies.

The guys all nod and the Sherriff takes another deep before leading them past the second to last row of trees. He stops right before they clear the last row and signals the guys to hide behind the trees and look around in order to see. This is the only way for them to watch without Stiles seeing them.

The Sherriff can see his son in the distance and with the sun hitting his face just right he looks so much like his mother in that moment. The Sherriff has to bite back tears for the second time that day.

**~! #$%^&!~**

Stiles is breathing hard and he can feel the sun beating down on him through his t shirt and jeans. Sweat is rolling down his back and pooling at the waistband of his jeans. He wishes he had a rag to wipe his forehead because he has it dripping into his eyes.

Stiles stands to his full height and closes his eyes. He lets the power flow through his body and center in his chest. He clears his mind of everything and lets his body go almost weightless. He can slowly feel his feet leave the ground and his body begin to lift into the air. He slowly spreads his arms all the way out and keeps his feet together in order to keep his magic centered in his body.

The higher he begins to rise the tighter his chest becomes. He furrows his brows and tries to keep his mind blank but he can tell he's beginning to lose himself again. he grits his teeth as a burning tingle begins working its way up his body, through his chest and down his arms.

Before he can stop it his mind is thrust back to that night and he can feel the searing pain from the electrocution machine all over again.

_Stiles watches as Erica and Boyd takes off up their stairs. He hears as the run through the house and out the front door, probably not even bothering to shut it behind them. Too busy trying to get away from the man who was toying with them before planning to kill them._

_He knows his heart his racing pretty fast and is glad that Gerard doesn't have super wolf hearing and can't hear it. Gerard turns to him and he has this sick little smile on his face. Like he knows a secret that he's just dying to gloat about._

_He slowly begins stalking towards Stiles and Stiles does everything he can to back away. He winces when his sore back hits the concrete wall of the basement. Gerard reaches forward and snags Stiles' arm and starts pulling him towards the machine he just let Erica and Boyd go from. Stiles' eyes widen and he starts struggling and trying to pull away._

_Gerard grunts and turns around long enough to punch Stiles in the face before beginning to pull him again. He pulls Stiles all the way to the machine and yanks him into a chair that Stiles didn't even notice was there. He forces Stiles' arms against the arm rests and straps them down. He moves down to his feet and Stiles gets one good kick into the man's chest before he was punched in his own chest and his legs were strapped down also._

_Gerard stands up and smiles at Stiles again. He moves to the machine and pulls out several wires and begins sticking them to Stiles' skin. Stiles tries to clench and jaw and tighten his body but he knows no matter what he does to prepare himself he's still going to feel every ounce of pain that is sure to come._

_Once Gerard has everything he needs all set up he stands back up and walks to the other side of the room where a large box like control panel is sitting. He turns a few dials and presses a few buttons before turning back to Stiles once again._

_He stands there and stares at Stiles before slowly beginning to circle him. Stiles refuses to follow him so he stares straight ahead and just waits for the pain._

_Then Gerard decides to speak. "Unrequited love sucks, doesn't it?" he asks almost like Stiles isn't tied to a chair and he's just starting a normal conversation._

_Stiles furrows his brows. "Uh…I guess? I'm not really sure what that has to do with being electrocuted." He answers cautiously._

_Gerard rolls his eyes. "It has everything to do with tonight. I admire the fact that you have been able to trick so many people for so many years…" Stiles feels his blood run cold. "I mean…I don't know how no one figured out that you don't really love Lydia…" Stiles breathes out a sigh of relief. "Especially since Derek came into the picture…" Once again Stiles tenses up. "He's all you ever look at when he's in the room. Most people just chalk it up to your ADHD but I know better. It's the same way Chris used to look at Peter before I set him straight."_

"_Whoa! What?" Stiles blurts out before he can stop himself._

_Gerard chuckles darkly. "That's right. No one in this Podunk little town knows about that. Yes, it is true, my son, the Werewolf Hunter, used to be in love with a werewolf himself. I guess like father like daughter. Chris was only sixteen when he fell in love with Peter. If those beasts can even feel love. Peter was seventeen and the hotshot of the town. Chris fell head over heels at first sight. Took my two years to even find out. Soon as I did I shipped Chris's ass off to military camp." He growls._

_Stiles is kind of confused. "If Chris is gay then how did he end up meeting Victoria?"_

_Gerard does that dark chuckle thing again and Stiles' skin literally crawls. "Any boy would do as their father asks if the perfect threat is made. Chris is terrified of me. It's one of the reasons why he hasn't stepped out of line."_

_Stiles shakes his head. "Being gay isn't something you can just turn off. If Chris loved Peter then then I guarantee he stills loves him today."_

_Gerard roars a very life like werewolf roar and stomps over to the control box and spins the dial hard and fast._

_Stiles immediately feels the electrical current fly throw his body. He cries out and tries to grit his teeth through the pain. Suddenly his magic begins trying to thrust forth and leave his body. He calls on some of it to block the attack to his body and reins the rest of it in. He knows that if Gerard even catches so much as a glance at what he can do then he'll become nothing but a puppet for him and he just can't let that happen._

_He grits his teeth so hard that he feels his jaw pop out of place and whimpers. The pain is like nothing he has ever felt before and it's taking all of his energy to hold his magic in check. He can see Gerard watching him like a hawk, that gleeful little smile permanently attached to his face. Stiles knows that if he lets even the tiniest bit of magic out that Gerard will be able to see it and will use it to his advantage._

Stiles cries out in pain and crashes to the ground on his hands and knees. He tried to hold the power as long as he could but his body is still recovering. Most people would be heals after a week in the hospital but because Stiles used his magic as a pain blocker his body almost shut down on him.

Stiles can't help but remember that night every time he tries to use his magic. Every time he empties his mind of everything that just makes room for that night to slip back into his mind.

After what felt like forever of the pain Gerard finally turned the machine off and just stood in the corner watching him. It was as if he could sense there was something else about Stiles but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Stiles knew that Gerard was the closes anyway has ever come to figure out his secret.

Stiles sat in that chair tied up and breathing heavy. His entire body felt half weighed down and half like it wasn't even there with him.

Stiles closes his eyes against the pain and memories and just sinks down onto his stomach on the earth below him. He's tired. He's tired of trying to get his life back together. He tired of trying to get a control on his magic again. He's tired of everyone suddenly caring about him and wanting in his business all the time. He's tired that no one even bothered to come to him that night and check on him other than Lydia and Secretly Danny.

Stiles is just tired. Too tired to try anymore right now. Stiles is too tired to fight the darkness that's steadily sweeping over him.

So instead he just lets it take him.

**~! #$%^&!~**

The Sherriff and his companions watch in sad silence as Stiles gives up and passes out. The Sherriff turns from the sight of his son and nods his head back towards the way they all came.

They all walk in relative silence until once again they are all standing at their vehicles. The Sherriff turns to speak. "What you just saw isn't even close to a quarter of what Stiles can really do. I'm going to head home and wait for Stiles. When he comes home I am going to tell him that I told you guys the truth and that he needs to come and talk to you. You guys should all probably stay at Derek's house tonight, he might sneak out tonight. You know Stiles; he can never wait until an appropriate hour to do anything."

With that said The Sherriff gets into his cruiser and heads back home. The remaining five guys glance one more time towards the woods where they came before getting into their own vehicles and heading straight to Derek's house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter up! This story is probably not going to be very long. I'm thinking 15 to twenty chapters at the most. Maybe not even that many. I know what's going to happen I'm just not sure how many chapters it's going to take. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Stiles drags his feet as he opens the door to his house. He's bone tired and wants nothing more than to stuff his face full of food and then to pass out in bed for a couple of days. He drags his feet all the way to the kitchen and finds his dad sitting solemnly at the table with a cold cup of coffee in his hands.

His entire body tenses immediately and his mind starts coming up with the worst things possible. He hesitantly steps into the kitchen and up to the table. "Dad? Is everything okay?" he asks attentively.

The Sherriff sighs and waves for Stiles to take a seat across from him. Stiles is starting to get worried but he does as he's told and gently lowers himself onto a chair. "Dad, can you please tell me what's wrong? You're starting to scare me…"

"Stiles, I broke my promise to you but I want you to know that I did it because it's time you come clean about yourself." He says looking up into his son's eyes.

Stiles' eyes widen and he jumps up from his seat. He knows instantly what promise his father is talking about. It's the same promise he gave to both him and his mother before she passed away. "Why?! Why would you do that? You promised us!" he shouts.

His father winces when he says 'us' but Stiles doesn't care. He feels completely betrayed right now and he doesn't know who all knows his secret. "Who did you tell?" he demands.

"Stiles, you have to understand why I did it first. Please sit back down so we can talk about this. I need you to listen to me…" he pleads.

Stiles clenches his jaw and fists but sits back down anyway. No matter how pissed off at his father he is he knows to respect him and do as he's told…most of the time.

The Sherriff takes a deep breath once his son sits back down and begins speaking. "I told Scott, Peter, Isaac, Jackson and Derek." He holds his hand up to silence Stiles before he can even open his mouth to speak. "They needed to know the truth, whether you like it or not. Those guys care about you, just as much as Lydia and Danny do. They may not have shown it so well in the past but I can see it when I look at them. You've truly scared them these past few months. One thing I haven't told you is that they have been showing up here every single day for the past four months trying to persuade me to let them in so they can talk to you. Just to see how you've been doing. I know you've probably thought that they didn't care but they do. I asked them not to use your window anymore because I know how weak your powers are right now and you could have accidently hurt one of them if they surprised you."

The Sherriff reaches across the table and lays his hand atop of Stiles'. "Son, I know that you're scared and I also know that you try and hide it as well as you can. You may fool everyone else but I raised you, I know the real you. Surprisingly enough I was just like you when I was a teenager. Trying to always hide my true feelings because I wanted to protect the people I cared about. It's actually one of the reasons why I decided to become a cop. Because I knew I could have a real reason to protect people and no one would need to see the real me on the inside, that they would just think I was doing my job. The truth is that I care about people, people in general. Everyone deserves to have the life they want and I want to make sure that they have that chance. I want that same chance for you. I know that you will always be different because of your gifts but that doesn't mean you can't live a normal life."

Stiles swallows thickly and blinks the sudden tears away. He hasn't had a heart to heart with his father since before his mother died. He knows this must mean a lot to his father if he's actually taking the time to talk everything out. "Dad…I don't know how to be normal." He whispers desperately.

The Sherriff scuffs. "Yes you do. I know you may like to pretend that you've been pretending all these years but I know you haven't. The guy you are every single day is the real you, just because you have powers that people don't know about doesn't mean everything you've done your entire life so far has been fake. You are very much Stiles and you know it. It may seem different now because some people actually know the truth about your powers but that doesn't change the guy you've always been."

"But what if they don't like this side of me? What if they think I'm too different or dangerous to them? What if they don't want me around anymore?" he asks pleadingly.

The Sherriff shakes his head. "Stiles, they love you. You are pack, family and they will never turn their backs on you. I told them because they deserved to know the truth. They were so confused on why you didn't want to see them; you could see it in their eyes. Especially Derek and Peter which is weird but they are your friends so…"

Stiles' lips quirk up into a smile and he shakes his head fondly. Count of his father to ruin the moment by trying to joke. He chuckles and pats his father's hand lovingly. The Sherriff smiles at him and Stiles knows things are going to be alright. He's not sure how yet but he knows they will.

He silently stands up from the table and turns to head upstairs for a shower and a change in clothes because his are completely covered in sweat and mud. "Oh and Stiles?" his dad stops him before he can walk out of the kitchen. "I know you're probably tired but I think you should go tonight to talk to the guys. I told them all too just wait at Derek's house for you. I think four months of not talking to them is long enough, they deserve to hear you side of things, not just mine. Pack an overnight bag and text me when you're done to tell me how it went. I'll see you tomorrow night because i have the day shift." His father walks over to him as he's talking and places a kiss to the top of Stiles' head before moving through the living room to his bedroom hidden in the back of the house.

Stiles sighs because he is tired and worn out but he knows his father is right. Even though he's terrified of how the guys will react he knows its way past time that he had this conversation with them. They are pack, they are family and they do deserve to know this part of him.

He carries himself up the stairs and straight to the bathroom. He doesn't even stop in his room long enough to get a change of clothes. Just heads straight into the bathroom, shuts the door behind him, turns the shower on as hot as he can stand it and strips before stepping under the spray.

He takes his time washing off the day's sweat. Going over to a house full of werewolves with extra sensitive smell with layers of invisible sweat clinging to your skin is not a good thing. He closes his eyes and lets his mind wander to the day after Gerard was killed.

_Stiles parks his jeep outside the graveyard and heads inside. His feet lead him blindly to the one place he can quiet his mind and think._

_He kneels in front of his mother's grave and gently runs his fingers along the lettering of her name. "I miss you." He whispers. "If you were here you'd be able to give me advice and help me through this. I don't know what to do anymore. I just want to give up so bad but I know dad needs me. You have to help me, help me make it through this. I feel so tired and drained all the time. I can't let anyone see me like this. I think it's time I cut them loose and let them live their lives without dragging them down with me."_

_He reaches up and wipes a stray tear away. He didn't even realize he was crying until a tear drop landed on his mother's stone. He doesn't like dirtying it up. He turns around and sits on the ground with his back resting against the stone. He always does this when he needs to think. This is the one place where he can talk to himself and know that someone, somewhere, is actually listening to him._

"_I was so scared mom. I thought I was going to die. No one came for me; I don't even think anyone notices I was missing. What does that say about me, is my fake image so annoying that no one even notices when I'm not around? And when I finally did get to the warehouse everyone looked at me with pity when Lydia ran to Jackson. As if that was the only thing I would care about. All I wanted to do was shout that I didn't love Lydia that way and that I was gay. Do you think anyone would have even cared?"_

_He closes his eyes and sighs, his mind already made up. He was going to distance himself from everyone for a little while because he doesn't think he can keep up the fake him anymore. He needs time to get himself in order. He lets the breeze lull him into a meditating state._

Stiles comes back to himself when he feels the water turn cold. With a sigh he reaches down and shuts the water off before stepping out of the stall. He wraps a large towel around his waist and walks to his bedroom. The first thing he looks at is his clock. It's 8:30 and he hasn't even left yet.

He goes through his routine…dry off, put on clothes, slip into socks and shoes, brush his teeth, put on deodorant, and stare at himself in the mirror for five minutes. He tries to like what he sees but ever since that night he hasn't been able to. He knows there is truth to his father words, that he really is who he pretends to be every day. The only hidden part of him used to be his powers but now even some people know about that.

He turns away from the mirror and heads back to his room to pack his overnight bag. He shoves random clean shirts, jeans, socks and boxers because he always seems to need more than one pair of clothing. He heads back to the bathroom to grab his deodorant and tooth brush to shove in the bag as well. He's a very clean person and he hates when he forgets the small important things.

He heads over to his desk to grab his laptop and power book, which is where he writes down the name and description of every single gift he's acquired over the years. Once he copies a gift he has it forever and he doesn't want to forget about it so he writes it down. He grabs his charger at the last second before he can forget it and shoves those things into the bag as well.

Even though he's hoping to only be at Derek's for a night and a day he looks around the room to make sure he's not forgetting anything because he's a bit OCD when it comes to things like that. Another part of him they don't know about.

As he shuts his bedroom light off and heads downstairs he grabs his phone off of the kitchen table and yells out a goodbye to his father.

The drive over to Derek's is a very quiet one. He doesn't turn on the radio and he doesn't practice what he wants to say. He's never done this before and he doesn't want to psych himself out for it. He's just going to be honest and answer every question he can.

He pulls up to the house and shuts the jeep off. The only lights on in the house are the living room and kitchen lights, everywhere else is dark. From what Stiles can see in the dark the house looks good. Even though he hasn't talked to anyone is four months his dad told him that Derek fixed up the house and remodeled it so he can actually live in it inside in an old abandoned subway car.

Taking a deep breath, that's he's pretty sure the guys can hear, he opens his jeep and steps out. He locks it behind him and makes his way up to the front porch. Even though he probably doesn't need to knock he does anyway because this isn't the time to just barge into someone's house, especially if you haven't seen or spoken to them in four months.

He waits with bated breath as the door swings open.

"Hey Derek. I guess…we need to talk."


	4. Chapter 4

**Dude…I could not get this chapter out to save my life. This one was a stubborn bastard. Hope you like it, the plot is starting to thicken a bit.**

Chapter 4

He waits with bated breath as the door swings open.

"Hey Derek. I guess…we need to talk."

Derek stares at him for a few seconds before slowly nodding and moving aside for him to enter. He makes sure not to brush against Derek on the way inside because an inappropriate spike in his heart beat is not a good thing right now.

Derek leads him into the living room where Isaac, Peter, Scott and Jackson are all sitting very stiffly on the chairs and couches around the room. Stiles suppresses his sigh because he knows it's his fault everyone is going to be weird around him.

Derek nods to the empty loveseat before taking his own seat in a reclining chair diagonal from the fireplace and somehow separate from all the other furniture in the room. A true Alpha's seating place. Facing the fire yet his pack all at the same time.

Stiles looks around the room while the rest of them look at him. He's not sure where or even how to start. He knows they know what he is now but he's not sure how much his father actually told them. Part of him doesn't even want them to know but the truth is that he's really missed his friends lately and wants them back. He also knows that's his fault but he had a good reason for pulling away.

"The place looks nice." He comments absently.

"Stiles." Derek says tiredly.

Stiles winces and nods. "Sorry, I just don't know what to say?" he admits.

"How about the fucking truth for once." Jackson snarls.

Stiles' head snaps over to Jackson and his eyes glow a violet purple. "When did I ever having a fucking chance to tell any of you the truth? When you were shoving me into locker and laughing at me? When Peter was trying to kill me and everyone else in Beacon Hills? When Scott had his head so far up Allison ass he could practically see out of her eyes? When Isaac was being a loner and secretly being abused by his father? When Derek was shoving me into things and demanding I do the research for shit that I didn't even understand at the time? Then? The only time anyone even wanted me around was when they needed to push someone around or to do the research. Not one of you actually came to me to be my friend, even after I've saved all of your asses more than once. Even you Scott, as soon as you became a werewolf you stuck your head up Allison's ass and refused to pull it out to the point that you were putting everyone around you in danger, including yourself.

"I don't know what you guys want from me. If you want an apology then I'm sorry but one isn't going to come. I had a right to hide this from you because it's my life. Before my mom passed away she made me promise her that I would never tell anyone my secret unless I truly trusted them with all of me. She died the day after I made her that promise. My promise was the very last thing I ever said to her. Even after I got to know you guys I still couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth because once I did that then the secret that me and my mom shared wouldn't be ours anymore and I wasn't ready to let that part of her go. When she passed away she gave me her power, it what witches do when it's their time to pass, they hand their magic down to their children or grandchildren depending on when they pass. My magic is something that me and my mom shared. It's one of the things that was only between the two of us. You have to understand that. Even though my dad knew about it he wasn't a part of it because he's human."

Stiles sighs and sits back, he blinks a few times trying to fight off tears. Part of him is so tired but another part of him is angry because he can't believe they are demanding answers out of him when every single one of them are hiding things.

"You know what? Screw you. Screw all of you. I don't have to sit here and boo hoo to you about why I didn't tell you something about me when every single one of you is hiding something from each other as well. It may not be as big as my secret but it's the same principle of the matter. Everyone has secrets and sometimes those secrets aren't meant for others until it's time. I planned on telling all of you the truth but I was waiting until I was actually treated like a real member of the pack instead of the pack mule."

Derek growls lowly. "You have never been the pack mule. And yes, we do ask you to research a lot of things but that's because you are the smartest person in the pack. You're smarter than Lydia and we thought you never admitted to that because you were in love with her but now that we know differently then I don't know why you don't embrace your intelligence." He snaps.

"Stiles, man, we are all your friends. Even Peter. We never meant to make you feel the way you do, but to a lot of us this werewolf stuff was new, is still new in some ways. I'm sorry about how I handled Allison. I was just newly turned when I met her and my wolf latched on before I even knew what was happening. I never meant to push you aside or make you feel like you weren't my best friend. But dude, you gotta admit, this whole time you've had two secret best friends that no one knew about. Even if sometimes you felt left out you still had two people to turn to." Scott says timidly.

Stiles sighs. "I know that and I'm sorry for that. That friendship was actually an accident believe it or not. We were all at a pride parade and literally run into each other in the crowd. We demanded each other that we not tell anyone we were there and then we went out to dinner to talk. From there it just became a thing we did, just the three of us. We hung out at places no one we knew would be and we treated each other to dinner twice a month to gossip." He says with a shrug.

"Will you show us something?" Isaac finally speaks up

Stiles smiles at Isaac's excitement and secretly thinks he's the perfect person for Scott. He shrugs. "Sure." He stands up slowly and takes a deep breath. He can't do anything big because he's still getting the hang on his larger powers ever since that night. He looks around the room and spots a glass mug sitting on a side table. He walks over and grabs it.

There's still a little bit of liquid in the cup. Before anyone can ask what he's doing he tosses the liquid into the air along with the cup. As the cup and the liquid both start to come down Stiles smiles and waves his hands.

The cup and the liquid both freeze in midair.

Isaac's mouth gapes open and he stares from Stiles to the frozen objects. Stiles shrugs. "I can't do big stuff yet…I'm…I'm still 'healing' in a way."

Isaac stands up and walks over to the frozen objects. He gives Stiles a look, to which Stiles nods his head, and then reaches forward to touch the frozen objects. His hand ever so hesitantly passes through the liquid. A startled laugh leaves his mouth when the liquid separates and floats around his fingers.

Stiles lets a soft smile grace his face. "Pretty cool huh?" he asks cheekily.

Isaac laughs and nods. Jackson and Scott both stand up and come to stand beside Isaac. They too reach out and play with the frozen objects. Stiles steps back awkwardly because it's been a while since he's been this close to anyone but his father. He tries not to be obvious about it but he can tell by the way five heads snap to him that he is completely obvious.

He bites his bottom lip and immediately looks down at his shoes. "Sorry." He blushes. "It's just different now." He shrugs because he doesn't have anything else he can say to explain himself. He's not ready to tell any of them about the things Gerard did and said to him.

He's suddenly engulfed in a three-way hug with Isaac, Scott and Jackson. Immediately his body sags and he leans against his three friends. It was rocky at first with the four of them but when Jackson became the Kanima and he had no choice but to trust them all they inadvertently became closer.

"I'm sorry." Stiles chokes. Involuntarily tears start leaking out of his eyes and it's too late before Stiles realizes he's sobbing. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to leave you guys behind I just didn't know what to say to you. I was so afraid you wouldn't want me once you knew what I could do. Or that you would think I was a monster and leave me."

"We will never leave you behind Stiles. But you have to promise us that you won't leave us behind either. We're all in this together. We're a pack and we need you. We don't care about the things that you can do and we certainly don't think you're evil. You're stuck with us." Jackson says.

Stiles chokes out a laugh and nods against them. "Aren't you supposed to make me want to stay?" he jokes.

All three boys snort and shove Stiles away from them a little. "You love us." Isaac grins, his smile full and happy stretched across his face.

"I do." Stiles agrees.

Jackson, Isaac and Scott smile one last time before sparing a glance at their Alpha and second in command before turning and making their way to the kitchen.

Stiles takes a small deep breath and wipes his eyes before turning to face the two older men. "I'm sorry for the way I handled things. There…there's some stuff that happened with Gerard that I'm not ready to talk about, I don't even know when I will be ready. Some of the stuff he said cut me deep and I didn't know how to handle the new emotions I was feeling. Plus, after the electrocution my powers went a little crazy and I was afraid I would hurt one of you. I know that's not an excuse for ignoring the pack for four months but it's the honest truth."

Derek nods slowly and stands up. He walks over to Stiles and pulls him into his body. Derek's large arms wrap around Stiles and practically cocoon him into his chest. Derek shoves his nose into the crook of Stiles' neck and breathes in deeply. He runs his stubbled cheek against Stiles' skin leaving his own scent behind. Stiles stops himself from shivering because he knows that is an inappropriate reaction to have to your own Alpha.

Once Derek is satisfied that his scent is back onto Stiles enough for everyone to smell him he removes his arms from around Stiles and backs away. "Welcome back Stiles and don't you dare ever do anything like that again. If you ever have a problem with something you come to us, all of us, instead of pulling away." He commands, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment. "Also…I'll rip your throat out…with my teeth."

Stiles gulps even though he's not really afraid of Derek. Hasn't been in a long time. He nods. "I promise."

Derek nods once last times satisfied with Stiles answer before shooting his uncle a look and heading to the kitchen himself.

As soon as Derek is gone Peter doesn't waste any time in pulling Stiles into a bone crushing hug. "It is so good to have someone with a brain back around here." He breathes into Stiles' hair.

Stiles hears growls from the kitchen and laughs. One growl causes him to shiver slightly and Peter pulls back with a smirk. He leans in real close to Stiles' ear and speaks low enough to where none of the wolves in the kitchen will be able to hear what he has to say. "You should tell him. You never know what will happen if you do."

Stiles goes stiff for a few seconds before relaxing. He's not ready for that yet. He just got his pack back and he can't risk losing them or upsetting any of them with his secret feelings toward the Alpha. Suddenly a thought strikes him and he leans into Peter's ear just like he did to his.

"I'll tell him when you tell Chris. He still loves you, I know he does. When you find your courage to tell him the truth then I'll find mine. Deal?"

He pulls back and looks Peter square in the eyes. Peter's eyes flash in fear for just a second before steeling into determination. "Deal." He rasps.

Stiles smiles satisfied and then follows the rest into the kitchen. He smiles at his friends sitting around the table while Derek begins preparing some food and heads straight over to Derek to help.

Not everything is fixed but he's getting there. He's no longer terrified of what might happen with himself and he's ready to start living again. Step by step.


	5. Chapter 5

**Not too much happens, just a little filler chapter until the next one. In that next chapter I will explain more about witches and their powers and the witch hunters as well. I couldn't fit it all into this chapter so I had to split it in half. Enjoy!**

**2: I am sicker than a dog right now plus my carpal tunnel is kicking my ass. With this story I like to be a chapter ahead but because of me being sick and everything I still want to be able to give you something to read so I'm posting my back up chapters for now. I'm still going to work on the next chapter of course and I'll post that as soon as I can get it finished. Same goes to the other two stories as well…thank you and I'm sorry. I swear I am going to get my crap together and write and post more chapters soon!**

Chapter 5

Three days later Stiles groans and slap his hand down on his alarm clock. It's currently 6:30 in the morning and the first day of his senior year. He promised to pick up Scott and Isaac at 7 while Jackson grabs Danny so he groans again and drags himself out of bed. He showers as quickly as he can while still actually washing himself before hopping and going through his morning routine. Dress, brush teeth, deodorant, and finally pills.

Even though he's gotten better about being hyper all the time he still has his moments or wondering off in thought and not resurfacing until he's figured out whatever he needed to figure out without even realizing it. The pills have also helped him with controlling his flailing arms and legs when he gets restless. He had an accident when he was a kid where he ended up blowing up a tree on the playground when he got too excited about something. The incident was covered up by a 'bomb threat' but Stiles has always felt horrible about it.

He grabs his bag and laptop on his way past his room before doubling back and grabbing his phone and keys as well. He rolls his eyes at himself because he's so scatter brained today and he hopes it doesn't last very long.

It doesn't take too long to get to Scott's and Stiles isn't surprised when he sees Isaac already there and waiting with him. He suppresses his smile as they get into the jeep because he's not sure if they're even aware of how they act around each other. He wants to ask them if they are secretly together but he doesn't want to embarrass them or make them pull away from each other if they actually aren't.

The drive to school is filled with Scott and Isaac filling him in on some of the stuff the pack has been up to. Stiles finds out that Jackson told Danny the truth but Danny said he didn't want to be the only human in the pack so he wasn't joining until Stile came back. Stiles feels bad but he'll talk to Danny when he gets to school. Turns out Lydia is going to keep their secret but she doesn't want to be an actual member of the pack. Said it was too stressful. Peter apologized about everything but no one can force her to join if she truly doesn't want to. Allison isn't allowed anywhere near Derek or the pack at all, no exceptions. Scott's taking it pretty well considering he couldn't even be apart from her for more than a second a few months ago. stiles suspects that Isaac has something to do with Scott moving on.

"Oh and I heard there is going to be a new History teacher. I guess Mr. Baxter had a heart attack over the summer and is recovering with his family." Isaac says.

"Poor guy. He was actually nice to us most of the time. It took a lot to upset it. Who's taking his place?" Stiles asks.

"Not sure. I know it's a guy and his name is Mr. Volt." Isaac shrugs.

"Sounds creepy as hell." Scott mutters.

Stiles laughs. "It does. Kind of like 'he who shall not be named' on Harry Potter." He chimes in.

They guys all laugh as Stiles pulls into the parking lot and next to Jackson's car. Stiles gets out and heads over to Danny who is awkwardly standing beside Jackson's car. Stiles stops beside him and they just stand there for a few second, nether talking. Finally Stiles sighs and bumps his shoulder against Danny's. "I'm sorry." He says.

Danny looks over at him and quirks an eyebrow. "For what?" he asks.

Stiles shrugs. "I don't know, for spilling our secret and for making it to where you didn't want to be in the pack. You know you're a part of all of this now. Did Jackson tell you the truth?" he asks hesitantly.

Danny nods. "Yeah he filled me in. We're good. Nothing is going to change between us and now that you're back I'm officially a member of the pack. Once I talk to Derek of course."

Stiles smiles and throws his arms around Danny. "Awesome."

"Come on you two! We're going to be late for History if we don't leave now. We don't know who the new teacher is and pissing him off on the first day is not a good thing." Scott shouts at them. They roll their eyes but follow behind the other three boys into the school.

**~! #$%&!~**

After hitting their lockers and putting their new supplies away the boys split up into two groups and head off to their first period classes. Stiles, Isaac and Scott head to History while Danny and Jackson head off to Coach Finstock's class. They'll all meet back up for Science which they always end up having together and they're pretty sure it's Mr. Harris' fault too.

New school year but same classes and same teachers. No wonder Beacon Hills is so tiny minded. Ridiculous.

Stiles enters his History class and slinks to the back to take a seat. He may be pretty damned smart but he hates sitting in the front. Makes his fidgeting and restlessness more noticeable to the people around him.

The teacher isn't in the room yet and Stiles breathes a sigh because his body is feeling extra twitchy for some reason. He's got a shiver that's trying to work its way up his spine and he doesn't understand why. It's like his senses are trying to tell him something but he doesn't know what it is.

Isaac and Scott enter a few minutes later and Stiles tries not to roll his eyes because they were right with him just a few minutes ago in the hallway. They take their seats on either side of him and immediately begin writing and passing him and each other notes. Stiles rolls his eyes this time because he really does feel like a girl right now.

He shoots both boys a hearty glare before rolling his eyes and opening the notes. They were both hard to resist and he somewhat fears how he'll react when Derek wants him to do something. He's not sure if anyone other than Peter can sense how he feels about Derek but if Derek were to start giving him orders and he followed them like a lost puppy they would surely be able to figure it out.

Stiles doesn't know when his feelings for Derek really started. Every time he thinks about it he's always brought back to the day in the woods when he and Scott were looking for his inhaler. He was the first to notice Derek standing there watching them and he couldn't look away once Derek looked him in the eye. He remembers feeling his magic surge to the surface and his fingers inch to touch and explore and cast.

Stiles hasn't had that feeling since before his mom died. His mom told him that when a witch sees or senses something important or something that was meant to be theirs they would feel it and instantly knows it. That their body would hum with the magic inside them and their fingers would twitch and inch to touch, almost to the point of pain. That's what Stiles felt that day.

He tried to deny it after that because he couldn't let himself get distracted, especially with Scott's new furry problem but every time after that that he saw Derek the feeling would return. Sometimes even worse than other times.

That night Stiles held Derek up in the school swimming pool his body hurt so good that he nearly dropped Derek several times. Derek just chalked it up to him being human and being exhausted but Stiles knew it was because Derek was so close to him, touching him and relying on him, and Stiles wanted nothing more than to touch Derek's skin and make him feel the magic through his fingertips.

Stiles knew before that night that he may be in love with Derek a little. After that night he knew it for sure. Throughout the whole Alpha thing Derek and Stiles became closer, hell Stiles even let Derek live in his room for two weeks to hide from the law, even though his dad secretly knew he was there because Stiles doesn't lie to his dad about things like that. He gave up practicing magic at home just so Derek had a place to stay out of the public eyes. His dad can't even get him to stop using magic long enough to sit down and eat dinner.

Suddenly the classroom door open and in walks a tall muscular man with red hair down to his shoulders but tied back with a leather cord. Stiles' blood instantly sings red hot and his body goes on alert. There's something about this guy that Stiles just does not like but he has no idea why.

The man walks up to the desk at the front of the room and leans forward on his hands a bit. Stiles can tell he's trying to intimidate the classroom and everyone but him, Scott and Isaac falls for it. Isaac and Scott share an uneasy glance and from the way their noses crinkle Stiles can only guess the man doesn't smell too good to them.

"Good Morning class. As some of you may know my name is Mr. Volt. I will be taking over your History course until you old teacher is well enough to come back if he decides to. I will warn you now that I am a no nonsense kind of guy and I expect each and every assignment I hand out to be completed and turned in on that day it is due. For every assignment missed you will get an automatic F and detention with me to make something half credit up. No excuses. Tests are going to be half your final grade and projects with be thirty five percent. I will not repeat myself at any time so either follow along or speak up if you need help. If you choose to stay silent then you will fail because I do not do anything the easy way. Do I make myself clear?" he demands.

The entire class yelps out a 'yes sir' so fast that Mr. Volt grins wickedly and Stiles can tell the man's trying to hold back a snicker. Stiles definitely does not like this man. This is going to be one hell of a sucky year for History class. It's a good thing Stiles is a straight A student and is pretty damn fast or he would probably be lost after the first assignment. It's times like these that Stiles loves his ADHA and smart brain.

Mr. Volt begins calling out names of everyone in the class and requesting they raise their hands so he can get to know a face with a name. When he comes to Stiles' name he politely raises his hand but has to clench his fist when he feels a jolt of energy flow up his arm and try to fly towards Mr. Volt.

He grits his teeth against the sudden pain in his arm and doesn't like the way Mr. Volt is staring at him at all. He slowly lowers his arm and places it under his desk and rests it against his thigh. He takes a few deep breathes and tries to calm himself. He almost lost control in front of a classroom full of people and nearly hurt his new teacher.

Stiles knows he's been having some control issues ever since that night but he hasn't almost attacked anyone or anything like that. Mr. Volt finishes calling everyone but his eyes never seem to leave Stiles. Stiles just keep his gaze lowered to his desk and refusing to look up until he's done.

When Mr. Volt moves on to their first assignment Stiles finally takes a chance a looks up only to choke on his own breath. Stiles can't see it too well but on the back of Mr. Volts neck is an upside down pentagram. A right side pentagram is the natural sign for good magic and healing. When the pentagram is upside down that signals the presence of a witch hunter. Witch hunters wear the sign upside to signal the promise of riding the world of witches.

If there is a witch hunter in Beacon Hills then that means there are either more here or more on their way. Witch hunters are just like regular hunters, they travel in groups and they hunt together. Witch hunters are descended from witches themselves but from the black magic side of the gene pool. The magic inside of a witch hunter never came forth to be used, it sits inside the body dormant.

Stiles is silently panicking because Mr. Volt and whoever else he's with must have sensed his powers because they have been so hectic since Gerard. Because of Stiles' unusual gift he's usually able to project a force field around himself to protect himself from any nearby witch hunters.

When Gerard electrocuted him it must have fried his force field and took it down. Because Stiles never knew to build a new one he's been using his magic unprotected for four months now. Because Stiles is a powerful witch witch hunters would have been able to since his magic from thousands of miles away. That means that there could me more than Mr. Volt and his group on their way to Beacon Hills to track him down and take him out.

Stiles suddenly feels sick to his stomach and his hands shoots up into the air. "Yes Mr. Stilinski?" Mr. Volt calls out to him.

Stiles swallows the bile in his throat. "I'm not feeling very well and I think I might puck any second. Can I go to the nurse please?" he pleads.

Mr. Volts studies him for a second before nodding. Stiles knows he looks paler than usual which is helping his case more. Mr. Volt writes him a pass and he jumps out of his seat to get it. He avoids touching Mr. Volt's hand when he takes the pass and stumbles out of the room.

He doesn't even bother heading for the nurse's office. He heads straight for the front doors of the school and out to his jeep. He needs to get to Derek and Peter now and tell them what's going on. Beacon Hills is in a lot of danger and they are going to need to be ready for a fleet of witch hunters to show up.

He sends a mass text to the pack and tells them to go to Derek's house straight after school because he's got some bad news. He tells them not to leave school though because he needs time to explain everything to Derek and Peter alone before everyone starts asking a thousand and one questions.

"This is going to suck." He whispers as he peels out of the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know I already posted this a while ago but I read through it the other day just to get a sense for my story again so I could start a new chapter and I realized that some stuff in this chapter didn't make sense so I added things and changed things and rearranged how I phrased a few things just so everything made a bit more sense. The new chapter should be up on Monday after the fourth of July weekend!**

Chapter 6

Stiles slams on his breaks once he's in front of the Hale house and hops out of his jeep barely giving himself time to shut it off and slam the door. He sprints up to the house and takes the porch steps three at a time. He's just about to pound on the door when it's thrown open and both Peter and Derek are standing their staring at him.

"Why aren't you in school?" Derek demands.

Stiles takes a second to catch his breath. "We have major problems." He says.

Peter furrows his brows. "What kind of problems?" he asks from behind Derek as Derek growls lowly.

Stiles shudders but this time it's not because of Derek. "Witch Hunters." He answers simply and terrifyingly.

Derek pales and Peter curses under his breath. Derek grabs Stiles by the front of his shirt and yanks him into the house. He pokes his head out and does a quick sweep of the grounds before pulling back and slamming the door shut behind him. He doesn't let go of Stiles' shirt as he drags him into the kitchen and practically tosses him into a kitchen chair.

"Tell us everything you know about witch hunters." Derek demands.

Stiles sighs and nods. He was hoping he would never have to deal with witch hunters. He remembers the stories his mom and then later on his dad used to tell him. His dad never wanted to hide his life from Stiles or have Stiles hide it so he was always honest up front. He gave Stiles books and old journals from other witches so he could read and then he told him some stories Stiles' mom shared before she died. Stiles and the Sherriff have been up front and honest about everything since the day Stiles' mother died. No matter what it's about.

"Witch hunters are the same thing as regular hunters except the only hunt witches. They could care less about werewolves or fairies. Their one main goal is to rid the world of witches. Witch hunters are actually witches that never develop their power. When a witch is born they either develop their gifts or they don't and they become hunters instead. Those dormant witch genes give them the ability to track other witches and hunters around them. They get this tingling feeling whenever a witch is nearby and using magic. They can track the witch using that sense. When a hunter sees another hunter it's kind of the same thing on different, a hunter can recognize a witch being near because of the magic that surrounds the area they used the magic in last but a hunter recognizes another hunter because of a dark black aura that surrounds their body. That Aura is their magic that never developed. It surrounds the like a cloak. Those who know how to control it can use it to track the witches, those who don't can accidently suffocate themselves with it ending in their death.

"Each witch hunter has a tattoo, only they call them birthmarks because they believe they were born to hunt witches which I guess they kind of were, but anyway they have a tattoo of an upside down pentagram. The tattoo is either on the back of the neck or on the side of their neck under their ear. The mark has to be on their neck or it means nothing. My new substitute teacher has the hunters mark on his neck. His name is Mr. Volt. I know he can sense my magic in the school because I use my powers on school grounds a lot when no one is paying attention but I don't think he actually knows it's me. I'm so glad the tracking gift doesn't tell them who the witch they are tracking is exactly. Once they find the area the magic frequents the most that's when they would need to actually do research and things like that, just like a normal hunter."

Stiles stops talking and slumps back in his seat. This sucks. He has never wanted to put his friends in danger, that's one of the main reasons why he never told any of them about his gifts. Witch hunters will stop at nothing to get to a witch. If they find out that someone knows where a witch is then they have no problem stooping to Gerard Argent levels to get the information they need.

"I'm sorry Derek. This is why I didn't want to tell anyone about me. Witch hunters with stop at nothing to get what they want, and that includes killing an innocent bystander if they have to. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me." he bites his bottom lip to keep himself from crying. He can't let his friends, the people he considers family, to get hurt over him. Not after all they've been put through.

Derek's growl surprises Stiles and wide eyes snap to Derek's angry face. "Shut up Stiles. You're pack, family, and family helps each other. Whoever this guy is we'll run him out of town and if that doesn't work and he strikes than we'll take care of him. None of us are going to let anything happen to you." he says fiercely.

Stiles wills away his blush and looks down at his feet with a meek nod. "Okay, I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me." he repeats.

Derek sighs and slumps down into the seat across the table, he runs a hand down his face and for once Stiles can see how tired he is. "Stiles, that's what family does for one another. You can't ask us to sit back and watch while you try and defeat a witch hunter. Just like you wouldn't sit back and watch while he battled The Alpha's, The Hunters and The Kanima. We just can't." he sounds half desperate but Stiles doesn't call him out on it because that would be rude and Derek would shut down faster that the speed of sound.

Stiles lets a small smile grace his face and nods. "Thanks Derek." He says.

Derek looks surprised for a few seconds and his surprised gaze flicks to Peter's before settling back on Stiles. "Good." He nods satisfied and Stiles seriously has to hold his laugh back. "While we wait for the pack to get here we'll all do research on the witch hunters and you will fill us in on what you learned growing up."

Before Derek even finishes what he's saying Peter walks back into the kitchen, when the hell did he even leave?, and is carrying two laptops and a small stack of books. He sets them on the table and waves his arms as if he's presenting them. Just as Derek and Peter are reaching for the laptops Stiles stops them.

"Wait. I think we should tell Chris about this. I know it's been a bit tough for him but he would like to know if there's a different type of hunter around here. Especially one that's more dangerous than him because they have magic on their side." Stiles says.

Derek furrows his brow and thinks about it for a minute. He doesn't catch the way Peter suddenly stills and fiddles nervously with his laptop but Stiles does. He wishes he could reach out and consul the older man but he knows Derek will get suspicious and demand answers and Stiles isn't sure how much Peter has told Derek.

"Okay. I agree we should tell Chris but we also tell him not to bring any other hunters into this. We can't alert the witch hunter or hunters to the fact that Beacon Hill already has hunters in it. Doesn't Chris have connections to the school because both Victoria and Gerard worked there?" Derek asks.

Stiles likes this Derek. Four months must have changed him a lot because he's a lot less growly and a lot more open to actually talking about things. Stiles has no doubt that the old Derek would have marched to the school already and called the hunter out in front of everyone just to get him out of his town. Four months must have been as good a thing for Derek as it was for Stiles.

Stiles is secretly kind of sad for missing the change in Derek but he's also glad because he already loves the man enough and watching the change no doubt would have just made him fall even harder.

"Yes, Chris is on the school board. He was going to be principle but he wanted to have more say in what happens at the school so he decided to work higher up." Stiles finally explains after Peter clears his throat a little at him.

Derek nods and pulls out his cell phone. "I'll text him and tell him to get here about half an hour after the pack. He needs to know what's going on but I don't want him to be around when we tell the guys. It'll be easier on them that way. Plus they won't freak out when we talk to Chris about strategies and patrolling the town." He hits a few buttons on his phone before nodding to himself, setting it on the table and pulling the second laptop over to himself.

**~! #$%&!~**

When the front door opens a few hours later is when the three guys still sitting at the kitchen table realize that they have nothing on this witch hunter guy. Stiles wasn't even able to find anything in his father's system. That he secretly hacked into, shut up, don't judge him.

Jackson, Scott, Danny and Isaac burst into the kitchen breathing heavy and three of them half wolfed out. Stiles arches his brow. "What the hell guys? Why are you wolfed out?" he asks.

After scanning the kitchen the guys calm down and Danny rolls his eyes. "What do you mean what the hell? You send us a panicked text message telling us to get to Derek's right after school and then you act like nothing is wrong once we get here. We want to know what's going on." Jackson growls.

Stiles winces. "Yeah, I'm sorry about the text. I was panicking at the time. Sit down and Peter, Derek and I will explain what's happening." He says.

The guys share a look but sit down anyway. Stiles sighs and turns his laptop around to face them. The internet is open to a page about witch hunters. Stiles has been studying the site and taking notes from it for a while now. The site was created by one of his mother's good friends' family. His mother's friend was hunted and killed by witch hunters and her family wanted witches to be aware of the dangers out in the world of practicing magic. His mother helped the family get their sources and information. That's where he got his love of learning and researching from.

His mother loved to learn new things every single day and her magic helped her do that. She instilled that in Stiles at an early age and he's loved it as well ever since. "That new substitute teacher of ours…is a witch hunter." He states.

Scott's sputters and Jackson spits out the water he was drinking. The four boys turn to stare at Stiles wide eyed. "How do you know? Are you sure? How do we get rid of him before he finds you? Does he know you're a witch?" they fire at him at the same time.

Stiles holds his hands up. "Calm down, we can handle this. I know because every witch hunter has an upside down pentagram tattooed on the back of their necks. Yes I'm sure, my mom started telling me about witch hunters as soon as I was old enough to practice magic myself. We're not sure how to get him out of town without alerting him of me or you guys. Witch hunters are very malicious. They do not care if someone is human or not, if you get in their way they will take you out of it any way they can. And no, I don't think he knows I'm the witch he sensed. He may be a bit suspicious because of how I left class but I hide my magic very well. We do have another problem though."

"What?" Scott asks.

Stiles sighs again. "Witch hunters are just like other hunters. They always travel in groups. Sometimes large, sometimes small. It just depends on how the hunters know each other."

"So that means there are either more here or more on the way." Danny concludes.

Stiles nods and Derek takes over. "Yes. We don't know how many there are going to be and we couldn't find anything on this Volt guy. If he's here in town then he's using a different name then his teaching name. He could be anyone new in town and considering the high level of supernatural activity lately that's a lot of new people. I texted Chris a little while ago, I told him to get here after you guys that way you knew what was going on when Chris pulled up. He should be here any minute."

Just as Derek says this they all hear a car pull into the driveway and a door shutting seconds later. Derek motions for Peter to meet Chris at the door and after giving Derek the stink eye Peter does as he's told, flicking Stiles in the arm when the boy smirks at him.

"What was that about?" Derek asks.

Stiles shakes his head and smiles. "Peter and I have an understanding, that's all." His smile widens when Derek and the other's stare at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay…chapter 7 is finally here. So glad my writer's block is ending and I'm getting back into writing. I'm going to finish all of my current stories before I post anymore new ones…I do have four new stories already being typed out so once I have a clean slate again I'll start bringing new stories out. So glad to be back…get to see into some of Chris' army past and we finally make progress in the Chris/Peter pairing…enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Once Peter let Chris into the house and he was sitting at the table Stiles and Derek fill Chris in on what is going on. Derek lets Stiles talk the most because he's the one who knows more. "Will you help us?" Stiles asks once he's finished.

Chris sighs and rubs at his forehead. "Damn…I was hoping to never have to deal with another witch hunter again." he says.

"Again?" Peter asks.

Chris glances up at Peter from underneath his eyelashes for a few moments before breaking eye contact and nodding. "Yeah, again. When I was in the army my bunkmate Justin was a witch. We were a pretty damned good team, me a hunter and he a witch. We used our skills to help our squad guys get ahead. He would cast a spell to locate the enemy and I would come up with a strategy to take them down. we never used his magic to kill anyone, only to track them. We killed them as humans not as supernaturally advanced humans. We played fair because we knew that the people who were dying in our place had families just like we did. It's inhuman to use gifts like that to get ahead. Personal gain and all that stuff.

"Anyway, there was a guy in our squad named Brandon Hays, we didn't know it at the time but he was a witch hunter. The only two people who knew about me and Justin was ourselves, we weren't sure if we could trust the guys to tell them how we figured everything out. Not everyone immediately takes or agrees to the supernatural side of the world. To some people there is no gray only black and white. One day Brandon walked in on Justin casting a tracking spell and flipped out. One second he was our friend and comrade and the next he was the human version of a monster. He started shouting things and making accusations, he was talking so fast we barely had any time to try and answer him. He demanded to know who knew about what we were doing, he didn't believe when we told him that no one knew. His commotion caused the other guys to come and see what was going on.

"Before anyone could react he began accusing the other men and started shooting them one by one. He was an animal about it too, laughing and practically foaming at the mouth. By the time out leader to him down there was only three survivors of our squad left. Me, Justin and a young kid named Adam. We made a vow to never speak of what really happened that day and to never have contact with each other again."

Pretty much everyone but Stiles is staring wide eyed at Chris. Stiles has heard similar stories to the one Chris just told from his mother and Aunt. Every time he got too out of control with his powers one of them would sit him down and tell him a story of a witch being hunted down and killed because they couldn't control themselves. Stiles knows they weren't trying to hurt him or anything by telling him those stories but as a kid he didn't know that. Every time they had to tell him one of those stories he got the idea that they were disappointed in him and that made him work extra hard on learning to control whatever power he acquired next.

"Is the only way to stop a witch hunter to kill them?" Danny asks kind of sadly. Danny never really like the thought of having to kill someone who seeing someone get killed. He's always been a kind soul.

Chris sighs. "To be honest I don't know. Brandon was just a kid, barely nineteen, and he went crazy the second he saw Justin using magic. I don't how witch hunters think or hunt but if they are anything like Brandon then yes, you may have to kill this Volt guy in order to get him to stop hunting Stiles. I'm not sure how much help I will be but whatever you need me do to I will. You guys are going to have to call the shots on this one."

Stiles sighs, he's grateful that Chris is willing to help them but he was kind of hoping the man would know more about how to stop this guy. "Okay, we're just going to have to think of this as if he were a serial killer. We need to get dirt on him and try and take him down the legal way before we resort to killing him. My dad's the Sheriff, if we catch Volt in the act of something my dad can wrack the charges up and get him shipped out of Beacon Hills. If that doesn't work then we'll figure out a way to take him down, but only as a last resort. I'm not into killing humans, even if they deserve it."

Stiles waits until everyone nods in agreement before turning to Chris again. "Chris, I know this is a lot to ask but is there any way you could possibly track down Justin and talk to him about this? Ask if he's has any other experience with witch hunters and how we could possibly trap him?"

Chris sighs but nods his head. "Yeah, I've been keeping tabs on him for a few years now just to make sure he's still alive and safe. I can get a hold of him and ask him to come to Beacon Hills for a meeting with the pack. I'll let you all know as soon as I get an answer." Chris stands up, grabs his coat and heads to the door. "Peter, walk me out." he says without even pausing in his steps.

Peter gives a mock salute and turns to trail behind Chris to the door. "Yes Sir."

"Why would Chris want to talk to Peter alone?" Scott asks once to two men shut the front door.

"That is none of our business Scotty boy." Stiles answers.

**~! #$%& !~**

Peter shuts the front door behind him and follows Chris down to his SUV. Even though he's walking with an air of indifference he's nervous on the inside. Whenever he's around Chris he feels like a teenager all over again and part of him doesn't like it. He likes being in control of everything and when it comes to Chris he's not.

Right before they reach Chris' SUV he tilts his ears towards the house to make sure they can't hear him and realizes that he can't even hear them which means they definitely won't be able to hear him and Chris. He's thankful for that, as much as they are all starting to become a real pack he's just not ready for them to know about how he feels about Chris. Especially because of what happened with Derek and Kate and Scott and Allison. Hale's and Argents are just meant to mix well.

_That's because the right two haven't gotten together yet._ His wolf argues back.

Peter would roll his eyes but he can silently admit that he's been thinking and hoping the same thing. He truly does love Chris, he has for a very long time. Even though he loved his wife and kids he knew that his wife wasn't his true love. Jessica was a beautiful woman and she gave him amazing kids but he never felt a deep connection with her, not like he does with Chris. He and Chris were only able to be together for two years, all those years ago, before they were split up yet he feels like they've been together their whole lives every time the man is even near him.

As soon as Chris reaches the driver side door of his SUV, which is facing away from the house, he spins around and faces Peter. "No." is all he says.

Peter furrows his brows and stares at him. "What?" he asks confusedly.

Chris sighs. "The answer is no Peter. Don't think I don't see the look in your eyes every time I see you around town, every time I catch you looking at me. We can't and won't ever be together again. It goes against the code and everything my family stands for. Peter what we had in the past is exactly that, the past. You know the saying 'History should never repeat itself', well in this case I agree."

Peter hides his surprise behind his anger. He thought he was hiding his feelings pretty damned well but apparently Chris is able to see right through him, but he was always able to do that. So he hides his surprise and let's anger take over his facial features. He grabs a hold of Chris' upper arms and slams him back into the driver side door.

He leans in real close to Chris' face and stares into the other man's eyes. "Out of that whole little speech I only ever heard you say no because it goes against the code. Not once did you say no because you don't want me or because you don't still love me. Not once did you deny how you feel about me. It has always been about the stupid code with you and your family yet you have been the only one to ever uphold it. Guess what Chris? Gerard is dead and he can't ship you off to the army this time to keep us apart. I will wear you down until you give in and no can stop me this time; no one can keep us apart, because I know you want me just as much as I want you."

Peter grabs a fistful of Chris' hair, slowly tilts his head back and licks a line from the underside of his jaw all the way to behind his ear where he's most sensitive at. Chris moans quietly and Peter grins against his ear. "I will have you back Chris, I can promise you that. I never should have let him take you away from me and now he can't. You can bet your ass you're going to be mine again."

Peter pulls away and before Chris can even blink properly Peter is already back up onto the porch and slipping inside the house, the door giving a soft click behind him. Chris let's out the breath he was holding and quickly adjusts himself in his jeans. He wants nothing more than to follow after Peter into the house and shove the man against any hard surface and just touch him but he knows he needs to be strong. Even though he really doesn't want to be.

**~! #$%& !~**

Stiles looks up and catches Peter's eye as the older man walks back into the kitchen. He heads over to the fridge and grabs himself a bottle of water before downing the whole thing in one go.

"What did Chris want?" Scott asks.

Stiles sends him a glare but turns back to Peter to hear the older man's answer. "He said that he's going to wait until early tomorrow morning to call Justin to better his chances of getting a hold of the man and he wanted to let me know that he'll help as much as he can but he wants to do everything by the 'code'." He finishes with a roll of his eyes.

Stiles barely holds in a wince because from the look in Peter's eyes Chris wasn't talking about the witch hunters when he said he was going to follow the code. Stiles has a written copy of that code in his bedroom and in said code is a rule against any hunters dating werewolves. _Shit. Now we have to start from square one._ He thinks. There is no way in hell he's going to give up on Chris and Peter, especially after what Gerard confessed to him about their relationship when they were kids. The both of them truly did love each other and Stiles thinks that's what set Gerard off back then. He was so disgusted because he saw the way his own son looked at a werewolf that he threw the code out the window and started doing things his own way.

Stiles put out his phone quietly and sent a quick text to Peter when the older man walked out of the room to head to his own. "I'm going to check some of my old notes and see if anything was ever written in them about witches or witch hunters." He calls behind his retreating back.

_From Stiles: Meet me at my house tonight so you can tell me what really happened and we'll see what we can do about it._

**From Peter: Thank you Stiles. It would be nice to have someone to talk to again.**

_From Stiles: Of course, wish I had been around the last four months. We could have been trying to get you your man all this time lol. We can also ask my dad too, he and Chris have become pretty good friends ever since Chris started making the new guns for the station._

**From Peter: Maybe, I wouldn't want to put your father in an awkward situation if he is indeed friends with Chris now.**

_From Stiles: Don't worry about it, my dad won't say anything to Chris._

**From Peter: Well thank you Stiles. I will stop by tonight after you and your father have had dinner.**

_From Stiles: Cool…and use the front door!_

**From Peter: Maybe…**

Stiles huffs and rolls his eyes as he puts his phone away. He feels bad for Peter but he also knows that what Peter wants Peter will get so it's only a matter of time before Chris and Peter are back together for real and for good.

He feels eyes on him so he looks up and catches Derek studying him silently. Stiles gives him a private smile and turns back to his laptop. He needs to figure out a way to trap Volt into breaking the law pretty badly without actually hurting anyone in the process. He needs to get Volt out of town soon because the longer Volt is looking for him the more determined he's going to get and the harder it's going to be to get rid of him.

_Fuck My Life._


End file.
